UNH Police: Assault victim knew attackers

Saturday

Nov 17, 2012 at 3:15 AM

By Andrea Bulfinchabulfinch@fosters.com

DURHAM — University of New Hampshire Police say they have learned an assault Wednesday night was not a random incident and there is no cause for the campus community to be alarmedAt about 9:15 p.m. Wednesday, a male student reported being attacked by two unknown assailants who allegedly grabbed him from behind and proceeded to pull him down to the ground attempting to steal his backpack. The incident occurred in C Lot and the student suffered minor injuries for which he required no medical treatment.Though he initially reported he did not know the two men who attacked him, police have learned he did know the alleged attackers, who are not UNH students. Police continue to investigate the nature of their relationship.In a statement released by the school on Friday, UNH Police Chief Paul Dean said, “The safety and well-being of our students, faculty, staff, and campus visitors is our number one priority. As we uncovered information, we felt it was important to let the community know this was not a random incident. While people should always be aware of their surroundings and take safety precautions there is no cause for alarm.”Police did not say how it was learned the student knew the two men.On Thursday, UNH media relations director, Erika Mantz, said police are happy to provide safety escorts to and from any on-campus location or answer any safety questions students may have, as is always the case with the department.Anyone with information regarding the incident is encouraged to contact the UNH Police Department at 862-1426.In addition, Dean reminds the campus community to call 911 immediately upon observing anyone or anything suspicious or to report crimes anonymously using the CrimePush mobile app which can be downloaded at www.unh.edu/upd. For safety information go to, http://unh.edu/upd/P_General.html.